Double Helix
by ChaosJedi
Summary: The transition between Beyond the Legend and Dark vs. Light. It's bad enough that two dimensions have merged, but in the course of three days everyone's lives are thrown for a loop!
1. Xtreme

Double Helix -- Day One  
Xtreme  
by Ryan Carroll  
  
***Author's Notes: This trilogy takes place immediately following Merge, but it's really its own little story arc. This is why I didn't include it with the rest of the Beyond the Legend chapters. Each story in the trilogy takes place in the course of one day, which means only three days will have passed in the storyline between Merge and Dark vs. Light, the Sonic Adventure 2 adaptation to follow. Each Day in the trilogy is crucial to the storyline, as all three introduce new twists to my continuity. (Like it's not twisted enough as it is, right?) Oh, and in case anyone finds the intro a bit confusing, CJ's conscience is recapping. When the narrative switches to past tense, that's when CJ's recollection starts up.***  
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Waking up from getting knocked out in NOT pleasant. Waking up from getting knocked out to find a sharp sword aimed at your throat is even less so.  
  
To explain my current situation, I need to backtrack to yesterday. Remember the dimensional merge? Well of course you do, it only happened a day ago. Well, in all the confusion, reconfiguration, and general mayhem, several dimensional rifts happened. That's when VIKI was split away from Chris, and when Indy and Pixel vanished on us. Well, I couldn't track VIKI, but I managed to get a reading on Indy and Pixel, and I trailed them here, to the Hyrule dimension. I've been keeping in touch with Chris and Slasher through a wireless headset attached to my D-Comm, a fancy term I use for my interdimensional cell phone. Well, no sooner did I get here than I hear a sound, then feel something big and heavy connect with my cranium.  
  
Now I'm waking up to find a nice, sharp blade pointed right at my voicebox. Lovely. Well, time to kick in conscious thought...  
  
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"Hey, point that thing somewhere else!" I griped, shoving the blade away from my adam's apple and rubbing the back of my head.  
  
I wasn't surprised to find the sword back at my throat a split-second later. I looked at the face of my attacker, surprised to find that I knew of this person. He had to be Link. Great. The name "Hyrule" finally connected. I was in yet ANOTHER game-related dimension. Why, oh WHY, did I always manage to do that?  
  
"You will come with me to the Master," the voice of the sword's bearer monotoned, breaking my internal dialogue.  
  
"Over my dead body," I shot back, rubbing my shoulder and returning my hand to my side, gripping a small object hidden in my palm...  
  
"That can be arranged," the deadpan voice countered.  
  
"You know," I sighed, sounding defeated, "I guess going with you is the smart thing to do..." A twitch of my thumb activated my power staff, which telescoped right into Link's wrist, knocking his sword from his hand and well away from the clearing. I swept my leg across the ground, catching his ankles and sending him down. In the same movement I stood, pivoted, caught my staff, and had one end of it to Link's chest.  
  
"But then again, I haven't always been known for doing the smart thing," I finished.  
  
"You will come with me to the Master," my assailant replied.  
  
"All right, Mr. Broken Record..." I trailed off as I noticed a blinking light off to the side of his head. Planting my foot on his chest, I bent down to take a closer look. It appeared to be a sophisticated little electronic device.  
  
Well, whatever it was, there was no WAY it was your run-of-the-mill, local Hyrulian technology. And it appeared to be attached to the side of his head just over his ear, like an older-style hearing aid. I prodded it a bit with my staff and it fell right off. Link groaned, and the glazed look in his eyes abruptly cleared. "Huh? Hey, what the--? Get offa me, ya big lug!"  
  
Must have been mind control. Speech patterns don't change THAT abruptly without good reason. "Look, kid, lemme explain some things before you get up," I ordered, shoving him back down to the ground when he tried to get up. "You've been under mind control for the past who knows how long, and you just attacked me, whether you remember it or not. I need your help."  
  
"Mind control? What, like some sort of magic?" Link inquired as I offered him a hand to help him up.  
  
I picked up the mind control device and studied it. "I suppose you could say that."  
  
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While Link went to retrieve his sword, I dialed up Slasher and told her what was going on. "You think Robotnik has anything to do with this?"  
  
"Hmmm. Mind control's not really his style. He prefers brute force to get the job done."  
  
"So you have any idea who could be behind this? I KNOW that this is way too anachronistic for this dimension."  
  
"I really don't... Wait a minute."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Ohhhhh, shoot. Hang on, Ryan, Chris and I are coming ASAP."  
  
"Who what huh?"  
  
"If it's who I think it is, you're going to need as much backup as possible."  
  
Oh, THAT made me feel good. I turned to Link, who was just reentering the clearing, sword sheathed. "I have some friends coming to help. They'll get here--"  
  
The familiar sound and light of a dimensional tunnel cut off the rest of my sentence. "Right about now," I finished, shouting above the roar of the tunnel.  
  
Chris stepped out first, and I gave her a quick hug. "Anything yet?" she asked.  
  
"Not yet," I replied. "I was here for about five seconds before I got a new dent in my skull," I added, smiling.  
  
Link looked about ready to apologize for that (it wasn't really necessary; he hadn't been himself when he'd done it, after all...) when Slasher came through the portal, sealing it behind her. Link's apology turned to a scream as he leaped behind some bushes.  
  
"What, is it my breath?" the raptor quipped.  
  
"Just leave me alone! Whassamatter, didn't have enough fun last time you jumped me?"  
  
Slasher and I exchanged a glance. THIS was interesting.  
  
"Hey, kid, relax, I'm not here to hurt you. In fact, I just got here."  
  
"Huh?" Link poked his head out of the bushes momentarily. Slasher stood there nonthreateningly (well, as much so a raptor possibly CAN) while the young hero looked her over. "Well, I guess you do look different... The other one looked like it was wearing armor or something."  
  
Slasher flinched ever so slightly, but I caught it anyway. "Why don't you come on out and tell me what this other creature looked like?"  
  
Link complied, brushing himself off as best he could. "The thing looked a lot like you, only it had metal in a lot of places, and a big collar with a setting, like for a huge gem or something. He looked pretty beat up, though." A thought occurred to him. "Hey, I never got your names. I'm Link."  
  
We introduced ourselves, and when we'd finished, I held up a picture of Indy and Pixel. "Listen, the reason why I'm here is I was looking for these two. Have you seen them?"  
  
"Hmmm. Nope, sorry."  
  
"I wonder where they could be..." Chris pondered.  
  
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At that exact moment, Indy and Pixel were sitting in a cage that was hanging from a rope suspended over a lava pool.  
  
"Don't suppose you can email for help," Indy quipped.  
  
"I can't do that unless I'm hooked into a network, you know that."  
  
"Silence!" a voice roared from across the cavern. Both chao jumped, turning their attention to the source of the ferocious command.  
  
A robotic velociraptor limped into view. Sparking wiring showed through gaping wounds in the biotic's synthetic flesh. Hate burned in its visual sensors.  
  
"Who are you?" Indy ventured.  
  
The bot glared menacingly at the little chao. "I am Mecha-Bot Five. Also known as Leviathan."  
  
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"Leviathan?"  
  
"I never told you about him?" Slasher inquired. We were running full tilt toward Hyrule Castle, Chris and I using our stones' abilities, Indy holding Slasher in a death grip to keep from falling off.  
  
"Not to my recollection," I replied.  
  
"He's Mecha-Bot Five. Worse than Mecha and Robo Knux put together."  
  
"Okay, that's bad. And you say mind control is his specialty."  
  
"Yep. Explains the little head gizmo. I'd love to know where he got the materials for that thing, especially around here."  
  
"So if Leviathan was destroyed in the Lava Reef overflow, how did he get here?" Chris asked.  
  
"More than likely the same way Indy and Pixel did. That zipper effect Ryan told us about probably warped him here before he could be totally destroyed."  
  
"Wonderful. So now we have to find Indy and Pixel AND dispatch a Mecha-Bot. Some week THIS is turning out to be."  
  
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We arrived at the castle, but had a hard time getting in. The gate guards kept babbling something about a "monster".  
  
Slasher finally had to get in the poor guy's face. "Look, pal, either you let me and my friends in or the whole countryside will know I'm here, and you'll be short a pair of eardrums. Your choice."  
  
Five minutes later found us in the private chambers of Princess Zelda. "Link, it's good to see you have returned." She seemed unfazed by Slasher's presence.  
  
For good reason. The monotone voice and flashing light told me everything. I pulled out my staff and extended it.  
  
"Ryan, what are you doing?!?" Link hissed at me.  
  
"How dare you draw a weapon in the presence of royalty," Zelda added, sounding bored.  
  
I gently prodded the mind control device off the side of her head, then quickly returned my staff to its proper place.  
  
"What? What happened? What's going on?" Her eyes locked onto Slasher. "Oh! What is this?"  
  
"My name is Slasher, your highness. We are looking for a couple of small creatures that came from our homeland. There is also a dangerous beast on the loose, and we plan to take it out."  
  
Royal poise must have run in the family. "Well... It's good to hear that."  
  
"I don't know whether you realize this or not, your highness," I added, "but you've been under mind control for some time."  
  
"What?!?"  
  
I bent down and picked up the miniature device and showed it to her. "Why, that's that dream recorder that merchant sold me!"  
  
"Dream recorder?" I inquired skeptically.  
  
"Yes! He told me if I put it on at night, it would record my dreams so I could see them again and not forget them!"  
  
"Uh, Princess? I think we both fell for that one," Link replied.  
  
I explained, "Link was wearing one when I met him. He exhibited all the signs of hypnotism. As soon as I removed this little thing, he was back to normal."  
  
"Oh dear. I put that on two nights ago. Who knows what I commands I may have made in that time?"  
  
"Is there a court record?" Slasher inquired.  
  
"I'm afraid not. The royal family has always been known for their excellent memories. Apparently this was never figured into the equation."  
  
"What did this merchant look like?" I asked the princess.  
  
"Rather large, but with a massive cloak. The shadows were such that I couldn't see his face."  
  
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"Yes, that's right. I've been using my own circuitry to create mind control devices to subjugate the people. But now that I've caught YOU two... I have more important things to take care of."  
  
"Like what?" Pixel asked.  
  
"Revenge."  
  
The biotic strode over to the rock where the rope suspending the cage was tied. "It was your kind-- others like you-- that nearly brought about my demise. I want to ensure that won't happen again."  
  
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"Did he say which way he was headed?"  
  
"He said he was heading through the mountains to the west. I tried to warn him about the volcanic activity in that range, but--"  
  
"Volcano? Did you say volcano?" Slasher interrupted.  
  
"Yes, that entire mountain range is full of lava rivers and such. It seemed like a strange route for a travelling merchant to be taking."  
  
"He's setting up a new base."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"It's Magmatar all over again. I'm sure of it. We need to head out there immediately. Indy and Pixel will have to wait for now."  
  
"Link, will you come with us?" I inquired.  
  
"Absolutely. I have something that might help us out."  
  
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"SomeTHING?" I asked, looking at the huge bag of stuff Link had thrown over his shoulder.  
  
"Hey, this stuff comes in really handy sometimes. You'd be surprised the combinations I've come up with."  
  
"You're probably right. So, we all ready to go?"  
  
"Let's hit the road," Chris replied.  
  
It took less than a day, with the three of us (Link rode on Slasher's back again) moving at full speed through the woods that bordered the rocky terrain. We soon stood at the mouth of a cave.  
  
"Are you sure this is the right place?" Link inquired, looking around.  
  
"It had the most distinctive trail. All the other paths looked like they hadn't been used in forever," Slasher told him.  
  
"Okay, so now what? We've got oppressive heat and an endless maze of tunnels to deal with."  
  
"Well, it just so happens I have some things that will help," Link replied, rummaging through his bag. He pulled out a parchment, a compass, and a short wand.  
  
I looked at the parchment. "You just happened to have a map of this place."  
  
"I've been here before. Not that big of a deal. Now, we use the compass with the map, and presto!" An X appeared in a corner of the map.  
  
"I'm not even going to ASK how you did that."  
  
"Good. Now about the lava..."  
  
"Lemme guess. An ice rod?"  
  
"Hey, you're good."  
  
"I've played the game before."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
I rolled my eyes innocently. "Oh, nothing. Come on, let's go kill a freak."  
  
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With the map as a guide, it was actually pretty easy to find Leviathan's location. What we didn't bargain on was finding Indy and Pixel at the same time.  
  
Indy saw us first as Chris and I peered over a rock into the vast cavern. Link and Slasher were in the process of surreptitiously finding a safe path to the ledge the biotic raptor was pacing back and forth on as he railed against anything and everything that came to mind.  
  
"If I had succeeded, the world would have been perfect! One mind, one consciousness! No more illogical behavior! No more bad sitcoms! Hot dog buns would come in packages of ten!"  
  
"Boy, is he losing it," Slasher commented to Link. They found a path that would work, then came back and reported its whereabouts.  
  
"Great," I commented. "Here's how we're going to work it..."  
  
I detailed the plan, and everyone agreed that it would work. We just needed to time it right...  
  
Bingo. Leviathan was heading towards the rope suspending the cage.  
  
"But I failed. Because of creatures like you!" The biotic moved to cut the rope. "And so I think no one else deserves to suffer as greatly as you do..."  
  
The rope was cut, and the cage fell, striking the surface of the lava...  
  
...and bouncing off the frozen shell of what used to be molten rock. Link pocketed his ice rod and drew his sword. Slasher swooped down to retrieve the chao, while I did a low-gravity jump across the cavern and landed on the other side of Leviathan.  
  
"Hey, ugly!" I yelled. "Pick on someone your own size!"  
  
Leviathan glanced at me, then flew at Slasher in a fit of rage. "Oops," I muttered.  
  
"Way to go, Ryan," Slasher shot at me while sidestepping the biotic's attack.  
  
"Okay, everyone get out of here!" I shouted. "New plan! I distract, you guys get far away!"  
  
"Better idea," Chris replied. "You kill him, then we all go home!"  
  
"That works," I admitted, jumping out of the way as Leviathan charged at me. Slasher, Link, and Chris (who was carrying the cage now) got clear of the area, leaving only me and the biotic in the cavern.  
  
Glaring at me, the robot gestured with his head. I didn't know what was going on until two goons with mind control devices grabbed me. I couldn't break free.  
  
At this point I started to panic. Leviathan paced slowly towards me. "You will NOT stand in my way. All those who stand in my way... shall suffer the consequences!" He moved to strike...  
  
Without warning, Indy jumped in the way.  
  
"Indy, what are you doing?!?"  
  
"Leave him alone." This was addressed not to me, but to Leviathan.  
  
"Pitiful creature. What makes you think you can stop me?"  
  
"Leave him alone."  
  
"Indy, get outta here!"  
  
"Small, pathetic fool."  
  
"INDY!"  
  
"Leave him alone!"  
  
Swipe.  
  
... ... ...  
  
I stood there in shock as a small hat, a miniature fedora, floated to the ground.  
  
"INDYYYYYY!!!" I shot bolts of lightning through the two goons holding me, loosening their grip and freeing me enough to break away and stumble to where Indy lay gasping for breath.  
  
"Ryan..." he said to me, "I'm sorry... for being underfoot... all the time..."  
  
All that I could think was that this could NOT be happening. Indy's eyes closed, and his lungs stopped.  
  
... ... ...  
  
"Well, now that that's out of the way, you're next," Leviathan commented.  
  
The tears came, and then the scream.  
  
When I became aware of my surroundings again, the biotic was at my feet, in pieces, dripping red oil. I looked and saw that my hands were dripping with the slimy fluid, red as blood.  
  
Slasher picked up Indy's egg with one hand and put her other arm around my shoulder. "Come on, let's go."  
  
I have never recalled what happened back in that cavern. And after what Chris and Slasher told me, I don't think I ever want to.  
  
We got home safely. I'll leave it at that.  
  
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From the diary of Christine Monroe...  
  
I've read Ryan's account of what happened. Even after Slasher and I told him what he had done, he still left it out. I can't figure him sometimes.  
  
Slasher said it started with the scent of Indy's blood. The same thing had happened to her when Chalcon had sacrificed himself to save her, she told me. There's still something that freaks her out about what happened next, but she won't tell me. It's weird.  
  
Anyway, when Ryan screamed "NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!", it shook the whole cavern. As we watched, his eyes started glowing with this weird light. He suddenly calmed down, looked at Leviathan, and started speaking in this weird language. I've heard Slasher speak in that tongue before, and she translated for me and Link. You know, now that I think about it, maybe that's what freaked her out. There was no way Ryan was speaking English, yet Slasher understood him. Weird.  
  
You will pay, Ryan growled.  
  
"Oh, please," Leviathan shot back, psychosis creeping into his voice. "He was hardly worth the waste of resources."  
  
It struck me as strange that the robot could understand the language, but then again, he was designed as a raptor. It was probably part of his programming.  
  
You have slaughtered millions.  
  
"A small price to pay for world domination."  
  
And yet you think one more is no great thing.  
  
"What's one small creature in the grand scheme of things?"  
  
He was a life. Precious in the sight of God.  
  
"Oh, come on, don't tell me you believe all that Supreme Creator bit. No one is THAT powerful."  
  
You wished to become so.  
  
"Who doesn't?"  
  
You have taken countless lives. Even more, you have taken the life of an innocent. For this, your life is forfeit.  
  
"And just what are you going to do about it?"  
  
I shall exact payment.  
  
With that a shaft of light shot straight up from where he stood, and Ryan underwent the most amazing transformation. His entire skin turned metallic, just like his hand already was. His entire body was covered with multicolored armor-- I think it might have been made from the Element Stones.  
  
Then he tore into the robot. Bare-handed. I guess the way Leviathan was built, he was designed to appear more natural or something, because something that looked like blood started flying. We all turned away from the spectacle until the robot's screams died out. When we gathered enough courage to look, Ryan was back to normal.  
  
He hasn't been the same in the past few hours, even after we got back and Slasher explained that Indy would hatch again soon. I hope tomorrow brings something better for Ryan. I hate to see him like this.  
  
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Two "days" before all heck breaks loose. Dark vs. Light coming soon. 


	2. entertaining angels

Double Helix -- Day Two  
entertaining angels  
by Ryan Carroll  
  
Slasher woke up early that morning.  
  
Her mind told her that something was out of whack, but she couldn't figure out what it was. All her body parts were present and functioning. It was a bit cold in the room; she'd have to have a talk with Ryan about how he kept the air conditioning so cold at night. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary...  
  
...until she opened her eyes.  
  
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It was a scream that could have split time and space.  
  
As it was, it froze my blood where I sat. When it finally thawed back out, I dropped the toast I'd been munching on and dashed from the kitchen up to Chris' room...  
  
...only to collide with Aeris coming from the other end of the hall and Chris just coming out her bedroom door. Tenchi and Squall had just opened their door, and Ayeka was peering out the door to the room she and Aeris shared. All were still half asleep.  
  
"Whaz goin' on?" someone mumbled incoherently.  
  
I extricated myself from the collision and helped both girls to their feet. "Are you okay?" I inquired, directing the question to both of them.  
  
"I was fine until you blindsided me," Chris commented. "What's all the commotion? I heard a scream."  
  
"So did I," I replied. "I thought it was you."  
  
"If it was me, you would've FELT the scream. Aeris?"  
  
The Cetra shook her head. "Wasn't me, and Ayeka just woke up herself."  
  
"Then who could've..." A possibility hit me. "Naaaaah, couldn't be."  
  
"Slasher? But she normally doesn't sound like that."  
  
My ears discerned the click of a lock. I turned toward the sound and saw Slasher's doorknob jiggle. I walked over and knocked on her door. "Slasher? Are you okay?"  
  
"No! Now scram!"  
  
"C'mon, Slasher, I'm trying to help!"  
  
"You can't. Go away!"  
  
It irritated me that someone who was so calm and level-headed in "normal" circumstances could be so dang stubborn when it came to offers of help. "You know dang well I'm not moving from this spot until you tell me what's wrong!"  
  
A muffled sigh emanated from the door, then, "All right. Have Chris bring me one of her outfits."  
  
Huh?  
  
Chris did so, and Slasher snagged the outfit through a crack in the door barely two inches wide before slamming the door shut and locking it again. Was it my imagination, or did it seem Slasher was having trouble with the lock?  
  
After an interminable wait, the lock clicked and I heard a mumbled "All right, you can come in."  
  
I'd been standing there for twenty minutes, so I had momentum. I practically threw the door open, saying, "Now what's this all ab-- Ab-b-b-bou-bou-bout... What the...?"  
  
"That's what I'd like to know," the velociraptor replied. At least, it sounded like the Slasher I'd come to know and love. It sure didn't look like her. To fully explain would take but three words: she was human.  
  
I understood why she asked for one of Chris' outfits before letting anyone in. "What the heck happened to you? I feel like I'm dreaming."  
  
"If anyone's dreaming, it's me. And it's a nightmare." The (former) raptor's transformation hadn't been entirely complete. Her golden wings stood out against the colors of the room. She tested their functionality. Her feet rose from the floor, so apparently she could still fly. "I just woke up like this this morning. Last night, I'm me. This morning, I'm a freak."  
  
"Gee, thanks," I quipped.  
  
"Sorry. You'd feel the same way if you woke up as a raptor one morning."  
  
"Point. Well, I guess all we can really do is try to find out what happened to you so we can figure out how to reverse it."  
  
"So what am I supposed to do until then?" Slasher asked, sounding somewhat desperate.  
  
I shrugged. "Cope with it."  
  
"Gee, thanks."  
  
"Hey, what's going on?" a small voice piped up. Pixel rounded the corner into the room, still rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She stopped in her tracks when she saw Slasher. Her eyes widened. "Wow," she breathed, "an angel!"  
  
THAT put a smile on everyone's face. "It's only me, Pixel," Slasher told her, smiling softly.  
  
"Slasher?" The little chao blinked. "You look different."  
  
"There's the understatment of the decade," I muttered to Chris. She replied with an elbow to my ribs.  
  
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Slasher agreed to a DNA test to see if there was anythinng we could do about this whole transformation thing. I sat down in the genetics lab and inserted her blood sample into the DNA extractor. I planned to compare this sample to one I'd taken previously.  
  
While the computer extracted and decoded the DNA strands from Slasher's blood sample, I pulled up a comparison chart on myself. The results from a sample I'd pulled just the day before were lined up next to a sample taken several months prior. A percentage blinked between the two columns, showing how alike the two DNA samples were. I did a cursory glance, then a double take.  
  
"Strands 75% alike."  
  
"What the?"  
  
Pulling up a more detailed readout, I totally missed the notice that Slasher's data was finished.  
  
--------------------------------------------------------  
  
"Well, I have either good news or bad news, depending on how you look at it."  
  
"...And?"  
  
"You're normal."  
  
"Please tell me you're joking."  
  
I merely stared at Slasher.  
  
"You're not joking."  
  
"Nope."  
  
"Wonderful." She started to pace the room. "So I may be stuck like this for the rest of my life! I look like... like..."  
  
"Like an angel," I finished for her.  
  
She turned to glare at me, but her expression softened when she saw I was serious. "You really think so?"  
  
"You had Pixel convinced," I replied, smiling.  
  
She chuckled at that, then sat down on the couch beside me, wings drawn about her shoulders like a feathery cape. "How is Pixel doing since yesterday, without Indy around?"  
  
"She's handling it," I told her, "but I think she's taking it pretty hard anyway. She hasn't been her usual chipper self since last night. I dunno, if Indy's growth is accelerated, you think it'll be long before he hatches again?"  
  
"I really don't know. I often wonder how Chalcon's been doing since the research facility took them all back to Sapphire City."  
  
"Uh, Ryan?" a voice interrupted.  
  
I turned to see Rob sticking his head around the door frame. "Yeah, Rob, what is it?"  
  
"Oh, well, if you're busy..."  
  
"No, you're not interrupting anything. I was just talking with Slasher."  
  
Rob looked around the room, expecting to see a raptor. "Over the intercom or what?"  
  
I jerked my head in Slasher's direction. Rob did a double take, then asked, "Did I miss something this morning?"  
  
"Yeah, you could say that. I'll explain later. What did you want to talk to me about?"  
  
"Well, I wondered if you had any tips on raising a chao."  
  
"Huh? Why?"  
  
Rob came completely around the door, a newborn chao in his arms. "I'm going to need the help."  
  
-------------------------------------------------------  
  
The new chao was an instant hit. Chris made sure to include Pixel in the events that followed, primarily to keep her from feeling left out.  
  
"What are you going to name her?" Aeris inquired.  
  
"I don't know, something really nice," came Rob's reply.  
  
"Hey, she's changing!" Pixel exclaimed. Sure enough, the little newcomer was already forming a cocoon, as soon after hatching as Indy and Pixel had. "Hmmmm..." Rob muttered after a short while, when the cocoon began to clear up.  
  
"What?"  
  
"She looks kinda like an angel. I thought chao developed differently than that."  
  
"Yeah, you got a point. So what are ya gonna name her?" Chris inquired.  
  
"Well, how about Seraphim?" Rob suggested.  
  
"I like it!"  
  
We all turned at the sound of the new chao's voice. She had just emerged from her cocoon and within a split-second had latched onto Rob's neck. I tried in vain to hide a grin.  
  
"I think she likes you, Rob," I chuckled.  
  
"Ya think?" Rob gasped. "Can't... breathe..."  
  
Seraphim fluttered her wings and began zipping around Rob's head at near lightspeed. "Wow-this-is-great-I-can't-believe-I-finally-have-someone-to-talk-to-it-gets-so-lonely-sitting-in-an-egg-all-day!"  
  
"Energetic little thing, isn't she?" Slasher chuckled.  
  
"You could say that," I replied. "You could also say she's the epitome of hyperactive."  
  
"That works."  
  
"This is interesting," Aeris broke in. "According to this website, a Chao can be one of two different types." We all gathered around Aeris' computer console to see what she was talking about. "See, Type 1 Chao, like Indy and Pixel, imprint on personality. But Type 2 Chao, it seems, imprint on a person's morality. Which would make Seraphim a Type 2, from all indications."  
  
"Hey-Rob-can-we-go-outside-and-play-huh-can-we-can-we-can-we?"  
  
Rob grinned lopsidedly and headed for the door.  
  
"Hey, Rob..." I called after him.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Good luck," I smiled evilly.  
  
"Thanks," he replied sarcastically. With that he opened the door and allowed Seraphim to zip out the door ahead of him. "Poor guy," Chris commented. "Doesn't know what he got himself into."  
  
------------------------------------------------  
  
I had no idea what I was about to get myself into, either. The excitement of the day really started up when my Dad called.  
  
I'd been dreading this phone call ever since I'd found myself on the run. It was normal for me to be out of touch with my parents for weeks on end, especially with my Dad's itinerant schedule, but I knew it was only a matter of time before they found out and tried to get in contact with me.  
  
Fortunately I had prepared for such an event. A specific phone line routed the call through a dimensional microportal, beaming the call straight to a cell phone I'd rigged to work with the transdimensional technology.  
  
And boy, was I glad I'd done it. Especially when the call came through.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Ryan? It's Dad."  
  
Ooh boy. Easy, Ryan, just breathe, act like nothing's wrong... "Hi. Haven't heard from you in a while. How are things?"  
  
"They were fine until you decided to pull this disappearing act. What possessed you to do something like this?"  
  
Ouch. Already put on the defensive. "Dad, I don't know who you've been talking to..."  
  
"Chris' father, for starters."  
  
Doh.  
  
Dad continued. "He told me all about your little kidnapping stunt. What the heck were you thinking?!?"  
  
"Dad, the man is a liar."  
  
"Big talk from the person he's accusing."  
  
"Dad, I'm serious! Look, you want to talk to Chris? She'll tell you all about her dad."  
  
"I don't want to talk to her, I want to talk to you! You're a wanted criminal, Ryan, and--"  
  
"DAD! Listen to me! I may be wanted, but I'm NOT a criminal! Would you please just hear me out first?"  
  
"I had a nice long talk with some FBI agents today. I'd like to know what's going on in that head of yours. Dimensional travel? Secret paramilitary group?"  
  
"Dad, if you don't just listen to me a minute I'm hanging up. Do you want answers or not?"  
  
Dad sighed. Sounded like I'd finally gotten through to him. "I want to see you face-to-face. You built your transporter; meet me in the main square in Venice at two in the afternoon, local time. Can you do that?"  
  
"Fine by me. I'm bringing Chris and Aeris with me. They'll confirm I'm telling the truth."  
  
"Good. I'll see you then."  
  
------------------------------------------------------------  
  
The intercom buzzed. "Yes, General?"  
  
"I want a black ops team in Venice by 2 PM Italy time. No, make it two teams."  
  
"As ordered, General."  
  
Colonel Ferris wondered when this would end.  
  
------------------------------------------------------------  
  
It was around noon. I was back in the DNA lab, this time with Slasher. I was going through a step-by-step analysis of her genetic data.  
  
"I still have a hard time believing that the system thinks I'm normal."  
  
"Well, it's right there on the screen, and... oops."  
  
"Oops? What do you mean, oops?"  
  
"Aaah, I accidentally activated the DNA reconstruction simulator. It won't let me exit until it's finished." The two of us watched as the double helix swirled into view. "Wait a minute..." I muttered. "Something here doesn't look right..."  
  
Sure enough, the computer backed me up on my suspicion. The DNA chain was just too thick. There were too many base pairs in the string.  
  
By scrutinizing the information in the diagram, I discovered that Slasher was human. Then again, she was also still a raptor.  
  
It seemed like a fluke of genetic engineering, but according to the system, nothing had been altered since birth beyond the addition of her wings.  
  
"Now this is just getting freaky," I commented.  
  
"Yeah, no kidding," Slasher agreed.  
  
A thought suddenly hit me. "I wonder if... Nah, that's not possible. Is it?"  
  
"What?"  
  
In reply I pulled up my own file and ran the reconstructor on it. Again, a three-dimensional diagram appeared on the screen.  
  
My DNA had the same traits as Slasher's.  
  
My brain threatened to overload on me. I slumped back in my chair. "Do you even want to think about the implications of this?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Good. Neither do I. Let's find out, shall we?"  
  
I loaded up the program which compared two DNA records. Setting the program to check for possible relation rather than single-person comparison, I entered the two files and poised my finger over the enter key.  
  
"You know, we don't have to do this. We might be better off just not knowing," I told her.  
  
"I'd rather know than wonder for the rest of my life. Go for it."  
  
I hit enter.  
  
-------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Was I shocked? No. Surprised? A bit. Happy?  
  
Well, maybe after I woke up from falling backwards out of my chair and conking my head on the desk behind me, I was a bit happy. And I'm not talking about being doped up on asprin, either.  
  
"You okay?" Slasher inquired as she stood over me, applying ice to the back of my head.  
  
"Okay? Okay? I've never felt better in my life!"  
  
"You must still be delirious."  
  
"Nope. Never felt better. How about you?"  
  
"Shocked, maybe, and more than a little perplexed. I'm almost fifteen years older than you are, for crying out loud! Almost as old as your parents!"  
  
"And how much time traveling have you done?"  
  
She stopped short.  
  
"Uh-huh. I thought so. Let me do a little research."  
  
A little probing and prodding did the trick. I managed to get what was almost a life story out of Slasher, but what I was most interested in were the jumps through time, as well as anything that would cause a person to live a life longer than what was normally possible. She looked like she was nineteen, my age, and yet she had lived a life nearly twice as long as mine. The thing was, the proof was right on the screen: twin siblings.  
  
What was really crazy about her life was how much of the timeline spectrum she covered. Dates ranged from the Creataceous and her earliest memories (mine were from mid-1980s Minnesota. Yay.) to her time of service to the Cocytans a couple hundred years in the future. The thing was, three years still remained unaccounted for: the first three years of life which not one person ever seems to remember.  
  
The Internet, despite all the trash and filth in cyberspace, is a Godsend. So much information can be found there, whether newspaper articles or biographies of the latest celebrities. The former is what I was really looking for, and after what seemed like hours of searching (turned out to be about twenty minutes, give or take) I found the article I sought.  
  
"Toddler vanishes from front yard, no trace" read the headline.  
  
The article awakened a deep, dark memory, one that had been blocked away and subsequently lost in that three-year span of forgotten memories. A synapse that hadn't fired in ages sparked, and I saw what happened anew.  
  
I'd always thought I was an only child, and my parents never acted like they'd lost one. I'd had a pretty normal life.  
  
Well, as normal as I can get, anyway.  
  
The memories were of a sister. Chestnut hair, green eyes, cheery disposition. Playing out front in the yard. Tossing a ball back and forth. A flash of light. The ball bounced right through the space where she had just been.  
  
My brain returned to reality with a jolt, and I realized that I had broken into a cold sweat.  
  
"Are you all right?"  
  
"No. No, I'm not all right. Slasher... It's MY fault!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"The Dimensionalizer! The merge! The zipper effect! The transdimensional rifts that popped up all over the place! Slasher... My invention is what sent you to prehistoric times."  
  
"What?!?"  
  
"Look, our DNA shows that we're siblings. Twins, even. But there's too much genetic data. The answer? We're shapeshifters, to an extent. Limited to one form, kinda like that hunter guy that GUN sent after you."  
  
"Right... You're making sense, which scares me. Go on."  
  
"I've never exhibited this trait. It's been pretty dormant, but if what you said about what happened yesterday is true, then it fits. Now you've been a raptor all your life. But what if you weren't born that way?"  
  
"What are you getting at?"  
  
"Here's the short version. The dimensional merge caused the zipper effect. The zipper effect sent you into the past, and the physical shock of being torn out of reality triggered your change into a raptor. You were, I guess 'adopted' for lack of a better word, by a family of raptors. Then you lived your life and I lived mine, each unaware that the other had ever existed. With all the time traveling you've done, that's how you've lived so much longer than I have. And your time spent in Space-Time Six explains why you haven't aged that much. You spent so much time in a purely mental existence, your body never aged during that time. It all fits, Slasher. And there's the birth certificate to prove it," I finished, pointing to a document on the screen.  
  
The name on the document? Heather Michelle Carroll.  
  
----------------------------------------------------------  
  
Venice was crowded. Not that I minded, really. Fugitives tend to like crowds, as I was discovering.  
  
There were five of us altogether. Chris and Aeris were there as testimony to my dad that I hadn't kidnapped them, Slasher came because she wanted to see her birth parents, and Squall came along for backup.  
  
I saw Dad standing around a vendor's cart, apparently pretending to be interested in the vendor's wares in order to look inconspicuous. The five of us walked up to him.  
  
"There someplace we can go to get some privacy?" I asked him, lowering my voice a bit. All five of us were wearing sunglasses and trench coats, so I think we kind of startled him. Until he realized it was me I think he thought we were a mafia gang or something.  
  
"Five of you? What happened to three?"  
  
"I'll explain when we can get out of the open. How big's your apartment?"  
  
"Big enough for all of us, I guess--" A loud bang cut him off. We all looked across the square to see a cloud of smoke appear out of nowhere.  
  
I had a bad feeling about this. Turns out I was right.  
  
I glanced at Chris for a split second, then saw an armored agent aiming a rifle at her back.  
  
"Look out!" she and I screamed simultaneously. All six of us hit the deck. When I looked up, I saw that someone had been aiming at MY back. Both agents had fired just as we all ducked and had wound up shooting each other with tranquilizer darts.  
  
I pulled out my power-staff and finished the job the tranquilizer started. Nothing feels quite like applying the business end of a big stick to the cranium of some loser who just tried to shoot you.  
  
Slasher and Squall were busy getting Dad to safety, but the rest of us had been blocked off from that route. A circle of agents was slowly pressing in on us.  
  
"Any ideas?" I inquired.  
  
"Just one," Chris replied. "Duck."  
  
We hit the dirt for the second time that minute. I saw that Chris' pendant was glowing; apparently she'd been able to see something neither Aeris nor I had.  
  
Whatever that something was, it was moving fast enough to leave a sonic shockwave in its wake. The blast knocked everyone within a fifty-foot radius off their feet, clearing a path for us to get out of there.  
  
We met the others in an alley. Rob was there as well.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Aeris asked him.  
  
"Chasing a sugar-happy chao. Dang, she moves fast! One minute she's sipping a cola, the next, BOOM! Lightspeed city."  
  
"So that's what that was." I looked over Rob's shoulder, where Seraphim had appeared out of thin air. "Thanks, Ser."  
  
"Hey-no-problem-I-always-try-to-help-out-whenever-I-can!"  
  
Chris and I exchanged a glance. "I have a feeling we're going to be switching to diet soda fairly soon," I commented.  
  
"Well, at least GUN's not getting off scot-free this time," she replied, holding up a patch she'd torn off an agent's sleeve. GUN's logo was emblazoned on the patch.  
  
"Nice work, Chris!"  
  
"Thanks. I try."  
  
Dad looked around at us, expecting an explanation. Seeing that he wasn't going to get one right away, he said, "I think we should get back to my apartment. They can't follow us there."  
  
"NOW do you believe me?" I asked him.  
  
In reply, he held up a feather. One of Slasher's. "I really don't know what to believe..."  
  
-----------------------------------------------------------------  
  
After making the rounds of introductions (I tripped over Slasher's name a bit, making it sound like "Sasha", but it worked out well) it took about three hours of explaining, but by the time dinnertime came around, Dad was thoroughly convinced of the truth of my current situation. He treated us all to dinner back in the States (even though he had to stay in Italy, with my teleporter, he could be on call anywhere in the world). I forwarded his phone to my D-Comm and we headed for a great little Italian place he'd found in New York City one time.  
  
It was over dinner that I breached the subject of "Michelle".  
  
"Dad, are you sure I'm an only child?"  
  
Dad dropped his fork onto his plate. I'd hit a nerve. "What makes you ask that?"  
  
"Oh, I dunno, maybe the fact that something prompted me to do a little digging. I found the birth certificate, Dad."  
  
"Oh, boy." I could tell Dad had NOT been ready for this subject to come up.  
  
"Why didn't you ever tell me?"  
  
"Honestly? Your mother and I were glad you didn't vanish into thin air like your sister did. We wanted to feel like we still had a complete family."  
  
"But we didn't. Why live a lie for so many years?"  
  
"We were afraid that you'd go off on your own and try to find her. You've always been the kind of person who'd do something crazy like that."  
  
"Well I wish you would've at least said something to me. I hate finding out these things myself ten to twenty years down the road."  
  
Dad must have REALLY wanted to change the subject; I could read it in his face. "You're afraid I'm going to go running off to try to find her, aren't you?"  
  
He nodded. I burst out laughing.  
  
"Dad, I don't HAVE to. I found her! I didn't realize it was her at the time, but I found her!"  
  
THAT got his attention. "Where? Where is she?" He looked about ready to go bursting out the door of the restaurant in search of her himself.  
  
"Right at this very table," I grinned. Everyone looked expectantly at Slasher, whom I'd intentionally seated right next to Dad. She looked like she was about to burst into tears. "Dad?" she attempted to say. She nearly broke down over that one syllable.  
  
The embrace was automatic and instantaneous. I sat there, holding Chris' hand, happy to see my family coming back together after so many years apart.  
  
When they finally let go of each other, Dad pulled a feather off of his shirt. One that hadn't been there a minute ago. Slasher looked nervous.  
  
"Anything else I should know about my daughter?" he quipped, examining the feather.  
  
"Uh, er, well, that is, um..." I stammered, looking for a logical explanation somewhere in my brain. It refused to supply me with one.  
  
"It's all right, Ryan. I think I can explain, but only if you're all willing to sit through another three-hour story," she grinned.  
  
"We've got all night. Let's hear it."  
  
I'd heard it all before, but it fascinated me so much I didn't mind hearing her story twice in one day. She could've written a book (heck, a dozen books) about her history and never repeat the same event twice.  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
One "Day" to go. Dark vs. Light coming soon. 


End file.
